Oceania · True size
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
2.4×
Papua New Guinea is drawn 2.4× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
464,278 km²
On the old map
2.4×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#157
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.35%
On the old map
Papua New Guinea looks about the same size as Senegal on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Papua New Guinea at the size the old map gives it, next to Senegal's true size. Papua New Guinea's real area is 464,278 km² — Senegal is 197,303 km².
By area
Papua New Guinea is big enough to fit Sweden inside it, by area — 442,977 km² combined.
Papua New Guinea would fit inside Somalia, Spain and Thailand, by area.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside Papua New Guinea 1.9 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside Papua New Guinea 6.5 times.
Why the old map gets it wrong
The old map stretches land more the further it is from the equator — twice the area at 45°, four times at 60°. Papua New Guinea's middle sits at 6°S, where the stretch is about 1.0×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Papua New Guinea's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.
Nearby